Anger catches sea bass three miles up river

An angler was stunned when he reeled in a sea bass – three miles from the coast.

Eddy Widdup, weighed it at 11lb 14oz, photographed it and threw it back into the River Avon near Christchurch, Dorset, before it headed towards the sea.

Mr Widdup, an advertising executive, caught the fish at the Royalty Fishery.

He said: "I go pike fishing there quite often and after several fruitless hours I headed off to a pike swim where I have been successful in the past. I cast my herring and sat back. After about an hour my float went so I reeled it in and basically all hell broke loose.

"It looked big but when the scales said 11lb 14oz I knew it was something special. Most bass should be 20 miles out to sea eating the sand eels at this time of the year."

Had he kept hold of the bass, it's thought, he could have sold it for about £100 to a fish restaurant.

Marine scientist Dr Mark Everard said: "Bass are marine fish but in the summer they tend to come inshore and up estuaries.

"It is incredibly unusual and weird to have a sea bass that far up a freshwater river at this time of year, especially one that is so big.

"This has been the driest year since 1977 and our rivers are at very low levels at the moment.

"The low flows means the saline boundary moves up the river so it is more saltier and the bass feels more at home."